The Wilmingtonian., 1887-01-01
The Teachers Institute.

Teachers of New Castle County meets il
| this city.
1t is one of the most important educationa
events of the year. Tho last meeting aroused
a moderate degree of enthusiasm. Every
body seemed to recognize the utility ant
need of the Inst tute.
An Annual Teachers Institute is some.
what of an innovation here. 1t is TO bt
hoped that the coming one, which we un.
ierstood convenes January 18th will show
'ome practical illustration in the individual
teachers themselves taking hold of Institute
work, and not as was the case, too notori.
ously last occasion, of allowing the leaders
to do all the talking aud work.
Another point that should be insiste
| upon, and in this the citizens have some
| right to express their views, this with the
ope of an endorsement by the City Board
of Education, viz that the city teachers ol
Wilmington join the Institute.
This might be accompl shed in part, py
some of our public school teachers, upon al
lernate days, taking charge Of two classes
thus relieving a certain number of cit,
teachers for attendance at the Institute.
Active participation by all present should
be the insistent rule. demanded py the State
Superintendent.
Elsewhere, in other States, it is made
compulsory upon public teachers. Their.
are numerous States where teacher will
not receive a certificate to teach school un-
less she can show proof of attendance at th,
State or County Institutes.
This Will be recognized as very proper
measure after it has once been established.
The SIGHT was not an unusual one at lasi
Institute in Wilmington to perceive num-
oers of young lady teachers sitting around
he Institute room while work was proceed
,ng, whose attitude and unintelested ap-
Peaiahces BloFeu nahus, anu NsltlDB Co.'S
tune, indicated to strangers anything else
but the fact that they were public school
leachels, more ike visitors just dropped i'll
to look on aud idle away half hour or So
If there is anything more discouraging to
Institute leaders it is this senselcsb superfi-
clality. 1t is also in an emphatic sense dis
couraging to educational progress in the
State.
An Institute is lamed in its purpose when
only the leaders work. The teachers have
their duty, every one of them in G wing the
most exact attention, with the same pune
tual attention they themselves daily demand
from their scholars in the public schools.
The one-sided work done last Institute III
Wilmington should not be repeated this
coming meeting.
Another timely suggestion perhaps would
Oe in regard to the intrusion of 30 many
lectures and addresses during Institute
hours.
Good teachers grudge any of their hours
applied to purpose that can be just as well
accomplished ut another time.
Every prominent person visiting the Insti
ute thinks he must have his little say-aud
some have an intermiuably long ''say ~
Now this unjust to the teachers, many OF
whom come here at an expense, for the deti-
iite purpose OF technical education in th,
utrude upon them at such time essay +
ipOn general matters, or even the sleepy ver-
pose theories of kind hearted put inexpei-
lenced young male pedagogue who is too of
ten put on the list to fill in programme
What new thing of general tentativeness
can the man from Squiduuuk know that
would be of extreme Importance to 40O
teachers Better entirely devote the hou
made dreary by his verbosity to strict atten.
ion to the ideas OF an experienced educator
| IKE Dr. French or sHoh ones as Dfs. Schaef.
fer or Raub, whose time last year was un.
dOubtedly trenched upon by these vapid in.
ttusions.
The State pays for these Institutes. Let
he authorit es who run The Institute Sc,
Guat the citizens money is not wasted
|